Interconnect structures for preventing solder bridging, and associated systems and methods

ABSTRACT

Semiconductor dies having interconnect structures formed thereon, and associated systems and methods, are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, an interconnect structure includes a conductive material electrically coupled to an electrically conductive contact of a semiconductor die. The conductive material includes a first portion vertically aligned with the conductive contact, and a second portion that extends laterally away from the conductive contact. A solder material is disposed on the second portion of the interconnect structure such that the solder material is at least partially laterally offset from the conductive contact of the semiconductor die. In some embodiments, an interconnect structure can further include a containment layer that prevents wicking or other undesirable movement of the solder material during a reflow process.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The preset technology is directed generally to semiconductor devices,and in several embodiments more particularly to interconnect structuresfor die-to-die and/or package-to-package interconnects.

BACKGROUND

Microelectronic devices, such as memory devices, microprocessors, andlight emitting diodes, typically include one or more semiconductor diesmounted to a substrate and encased in a protective covering. Thesemiconductor dies include functional features, such as memory cells,processor circuits, interconnecting circuitry, etc. Semiconductor diemanufacturers are under increasing pressure to reduce the volumeoccupied by semiconductor dies and yet increase the capacity and/orspeed of the resulting encapsulated assemblies. To meet these demands,semiconductor die manufacturers often stack multiple semiconductor diesvertically on top of each other to increase the capacity or performanceof a microelectronic device within the limited volume on the circuitboard or other element to which the semiconductor dies are mounted.

The stacked semiconductor dies are typically electrically connected bysolder bumps that are attached to metal pillars formed on bond pads ofthe dies. Often, the bond pads of each semiconductor die are spacedclosely together such that when solder is reflowed during the stackingprocess to form the solder bumps, the solder can sometimes “bridge”between adjacent metal pillars to electrically connect adjacent ones ofthe pillars and short the semiconductor device. Conventional methods forinhibiting solder bridging include relaxing the pillar pitch by forminga redistribution layer (RDL) on the semiconductor dies to redistributethe electrical connections to the bond pads. Alternatively, thesemiconductor dies can be re-designed such that the bonds pads of eachdie have a greater pitch. However, both of these methods can increasethe cost and/or complexity of designing and manufacturing asemiconductor device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a top plan view of a semiconductor die having interconnectstructures configured in accordance with an embodiment of the presenttechnology.

FIG. 1B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the semiconductor die ofFIG. 1A showing an individual interconnect structure in accordance withan embodiment of the present technology.

FIGS. 2A-2G are enlarged cross-sectional views illustrating asemiconductor die at various stages in a method for making interconnectstructures in accordance with embodiments of the present technology.

FIGS. 3A-3D are enlarged cross-sectional views illustrating asemiconductor die at various stages in a method for making interconnectstructures in accordance with embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a system that includes a semiconductor dieconfigured in accordance with embodiments of the present technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Specific details of several embodiments of semiconductor devices aredescribed below along with related systems and methods. Examples ofsemiconductor devices include logic devices, memory devices,microprocessors, and diodes among others. The term “semiconductordevice” can refer to a finished device or to an assembly or otherstructure at various stages of processing before becoming a finisheddevice. Depending upon the context in which it is used, the term“substrate” can refer to a wafer-level substrate or to a singulated,die-level substrate. A person having ordinary skill in the relevant artwill recognize that suitable steps of the methods described herein canbe performed at the wafer level or at the die level. Furthermore, unlessthe context indicates otherwise, structures disclosed herein can beformed using conventional semiconductor-manufacturing techniques.Materials can be deposited, for example, using chemical vapordeposition, physical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition, spincoating, and/or other suitable techniques. Similarly, materials can beremoved, for example, using plasma etching, wet etching,chemical-mechanical planarization, or other suitable techniques.

In several of the embodiments described below, a semiconductor dieincludes a semiconductor substrate having at least a first contact and asecond contact (e.g., bond pads or portions of vias that extend throughthe substrate) exposed at a surface of the semiconductor substrate. Afirst interconnect structure is electrically coupled to the firstcontact, and a second interconnect structure is electrically coupled tothe second contact. The first interconnect structure can include a topsurface having a first portion over the first contact and a secondportion laterally offset from the first contact. A solder material canbe disposed on the second portion of the top surface such that thesolder material is at least partially laterally offset from the firstcontact. Similarly, the second interconnect structure can include a topsurface having a third portion over the second contact and a fourthportion laterally offset from the second contact, and a solder materialcan be disposed on the fourth portion of the top surface such that thesolder material is at least partially offset from the second contact.

In certain embodiments, the distance between the solder material on thefirst and second interconnect structures is greater than the distancebetween the first and second contacts. Accordingly, as compared toconventional interconnect structures in which the solder material isvertically aligned with the contacts of the semiconductor die, theinterconnect structures of the present technology can reduce thelikelihood of solder material bridging between the first and secondinterconnects during reflow of the solder material. This is expected toincrease yield by reducing the occurrence of solder bridging—andtherefore electrical shorting—of manufactured semiconductor devices.

As used herein, the terms “vertical,” “lateral,” “upper,” and “lower”can refer to relative directions or positions of features in thesemiconductor devices in view of the orientation shown in the Figures.For example, “upper” or “uppermost” can refer to a feature positionedcloser to the top of a page than another feature. These terms, however,should be construed broadly to include semiconductor devices havingother orientations, such as inverted or inclined orientations wheretop/bottom, over/under, above/below, up/down, and left/right can beinterchanged depending on the orientation. Moreover, for ease ofreference, identical reference numbers are used to identify similar oranalogous components or features throughout this disclosure, but the useof the same reference number does not imply that the features should beconstrued to be identical. Indeed, in many examples described herein,identically numbered features have a plurality of embodiments that aredistinct in structure and/or function from each other. Furthermore, thesame shading may be used to indicate materials in cross section that canbe compositionally similar, but the use of the same shading does notimply that the materials should be construed to be identical unlessspecifically noted herein.

FIG. 1A is a top plan view of a semiconductor die 100 havinginterconnect structures 110 configured in accordance with embodiments ofthe present technology. FIG. 1B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of aportion of the semiconductor die 100 of FIG. 1A showing an individualinterconnect structure 110 configured in accordance with embodiments ofthe present technology. Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B together, thesemiconductor die 100 includes a substrate 102 (e.g., a semiconductorsubstrate) having an upper surface 103 and an insulating material 104 atleast partially over the upper surface 103. The insulating material 104can be, for example, a suitable dielectric material (e.g., a passivationmaterial, a polyimide material, and/or other materials used to cover atop surface of a semiconductor device). The semiconductor die 100further includes electrically conductive contacts 106 (shown in phantomin FIG. 1A) at the upper surface 103 of the substrate 102 and at leastpartially exposed from the insulating material 104 through openings 107in the insulating material 104. The interconnect structures 110 areelectrically coupled to corresponding contacts 106, and an electricalconnector 130 (e.g., a solder ball, a micro bump, etc.) can be disposedon each of the interconnect structures 110.

In general, the contacts 106 are electrically coupled to integratedcircuitry of the substrate 102. The integrated circuitry can include,for example, a memory circuit (e.g., a dynamic random memory (DRAM)), acontroller circuit (e.g., a DRAM controller), a logic circuit, and/orother circuits or combinations of circuits. In some embodiments, thecontacts 106 are bond pads while, in other embodiments, the contacts 106can be a portion of a via (e.g., a through-silicon via (TSV)) thatextends partially or completely through the substrate 102. For example,as shown in FIG. 1B, the contacts 106 can be upper portions of TSVs 109(shown in phantom in FIG. 1B) that extend completely through thesubstrate 102. In some embodiments, the TSVs 109 include a dielectricliner and a conductive plug within the dielectric liner.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1A, the substrate 102 has agenerally rectangular shape while, in other embodiments, the substrate102 can have any other shape such as circular, square, polygonal, etc.As shown, the contacts 106 can each have a rectilinear (e.g., square)shape and can be arranged in two columns along the upper surface 103 ofthe substrate 102. However, in other embodiments, the contacts 106 canhave any other shape, configuration, or number. For example, thecontacts 106 can be circular, polygonal, etc., and may be arranged inmultiple rows and/or columns positioned along the upper surface 103.Likewise, each row and/or column can have more or fewer than theillustrated six contacts 106. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1A, each of thecontacts 106 are equally spaced from adjacent ones of the contacts 106in the same column by a distance D₁. In certain embodiments, thedistance between adjacent contacts 106 can vary.

Referring to FIG. 1B, the interconnect structures 110 each include afirst conductive material 112 and a second conductive material 114disposed over the first conductive material 112. The first conductivematerial 112 is positioned over at least a portion of a correspondingcontact 106 to electrically couple the interconnect structure 110 to thecontact 106. The first conductive material 112 extends laterally outwardfrom the contact 106 over the insulating material 104 (e.g., to theright of the page in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1B). The secondconductive material 114 defines a top surface 122 of the interconnectstructure 110, and the first and second conductive materials 112 and 114(collectively “conductive materials 112, 114”) jointly define a sidewallsurface 124 of the interconnect structure 110 that extends between thetop surface 122 and the insulating material 104 and the contact 106.More particularly, as shown in both FIGS. 1A and 1B, the top surfaces122 of the interconnect structures 110 can each have a first portion 113a that is vertically aligned with (e.g., overlapping) a correspondingcontact 106, and a second portion 113 b that is laterally offset fromthe contact 106 and therefore not vertically aligned with the contact106.

In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the interconnectstructures 110 have an elongate, generally rectilinear, shape. However,the shape and dimensions of the interconnect structures 110 can vary.For example, in some embodiments the interconnect structures 110 canhave other cross-sectional shapes such as, rectangular, regularpolygonal, irregular polygonal, elliptical, etc. Furthermore, in someembodiments, the interconnect structures 110 can have a height ofbetween about 100 nanometers-100 microns (e.g., about 4-50 microns). Incertain embodiments, the interconnect structures 110 can extendlaterally away from the contacts 106 a distance of between about 1-3000microns (e.g., about 100 microns, about 150 microns, about 200 microns,etc.). That is, the second portion 113 b of the top surface 122 of theinterconnect structures 110 can have a length of between about 1-3000microns. In some embodiments, the interconnect structures 110 can extendlaterally to proximate an edge of the semiconductor die 100. In aparticular embodiment, the first conductive material 112 comprisescopper and the second conductive material 114 comprises nickel. In otherembodiments, the conductive materials 112, 114 can comprise anyelectrically conductive materials such as, for example, gold, silicon,tungsten, etc. In yet other embodiments, the interconnect structures 110can include only a single conductive material, or more than two layersof the same or different conductive materials.

The electrical connectors 130 are disposed at least partially on thesecond portions 113 b such that the electrical connectors 130 are atleast partially laterally offset from the contacts 106. As shown inFIGS. 1A and 1B, the electrical connectors 130 can be disposed entirelywithin the second portions 113 b of the top surfaces 122 such that noneof the electrical connectors 130 are vertically aligned with thecontacts 106. In other embodiments, one or more of the electricalconnectors 130 can be disposed partially within (e.g., straddle) thefirst and second portions 113 a and 113 b. Accordingly, in someembodiments, a portion (e.g., less than about 25%, less than about 50%,less than about 75%, etc.) of one or more of the electrical connectors130 can be vertically aligned with (e.g., overlap) a correspondingcontact 106. In some embodiments, multiple electrical connectors 130 canbe disposed on the same interconnect structure 110. The electricalconnectors 130 can comprise a solder material such as, for example,tin-silver, indium, or another suitable solder material for forming anelectrical and mechanical connection between the interconnect structures110 and an adjacent semiconductor die or other electrical device (e.g.,a substrate, a semiconductor package, etc.).

Referring again to FIG. 1B, each interconnect structure 110 can furtherinclude a containment layer 116 at least partially over the firstportion 113 a of the top surface 122. In some embodiments, as shown inFIG. 1B, the containment layer 116 can be formed over all orsubstantially all of the exposed portions of the conductive materials112, 114. More particularly, in certain embodiments, the containmentlayer 116 can be formed over all of the sidewall surface 124 of theinterconnect structure 110, over the entire first portion 113 a of thetop surface 122, and partially over the second portion 113 b of the topsurface 122 where the electrical connector 130 does not contact thesecond conductive material 114. In other embodiments, the containmentlayer 116 can be formed over more or less of the top and sidewallsurfaces 122 and 124. For example, in some embodiments, the containmentlayer 116 is not formed over the sidewall surface 122 of theinterconnect structure 110.

In general, the containment layer 116 is configured to confine theelectrical connector 130 (e.g., a solder material) and inhibit wickingof the electrical connector 130 onto undesired surfaces of theinterconnect structure 110 during, for example, a reflow process. Suchwicking may deleteriously affect an electrical and/or mechanicalconnection between the interconnect structure 110 and, for example,another semiconductor die by degrading the overall electricalconductivity and mechanical strength of the joint formed by theelectrical connector 130. As shown in FIG. 1B, the containment layer 116can inhibit wicking of the electrical connector 130 (i) from the secondportion 113 b onto and/or toward the first portion 113 a of the topsurface 122 and (ii) from the second portion 113 b onto and/or towardthe sidewall surface 124. In some embodiments, the containment layer 116comprises an anti-wetting material that prevents wetting of theelectrical connector 130 onto the surfaces of the conductive materials112,114 that it covers. That is, the anti-wetting material of thecontainment layer 116 can provide a non-wettable surface for theelectrical connector 130. For example, the anti-wetting material of thecontainment layer 116 can have a diffusability for the electricalconnector 130 that is extremely low or negligible. In some embodiments,the containment layer 116 comprises an oxide, a nitride, or polyimide.In a particular embodiment, the containment layer 116 comprises nickeloxide. In certain embodiments, the containment layer 116 has a thicknessof between about 100-5000 Å, or in some embodiments between about2000-2500 Å. In certain embodiments where the containment layer 116comprises polyimide, the containment layer 116 can have a thickness ofbetween about 1-10 microns (e.g., about 5 microns).

Referring to the top plan view of FIG. 1A, in some embodiments, adjacentinterconnect structures 110 (e.g., interconnect structures 110electrically coupled to adjacent ones of the contacts 106 in the samecolumn) can extend laterally along the insulating material 104 indifferent directions to increase the spacing (e.g., pitch) between theelectrical connectors 130. For example, as shown, the electricalconnectors 130 can be separated by a distance D₂ that is greater thanthe distance D₁ between adjacent contacts 106. In certain embodiments,the distance D₂ is at least twice the first distance D₁. In contrast,conventional interconnect structures extend vertically above contacts ofa semiconductor die such that the solder on each interconnect structureis vertically aligned with the contacts. Accordingly, in suchconventional devices, the spacing between solder joints is approximatelyequal to the spacing between the contacts (e.g., the distance D₁). Theinterconnect structures 110 described herein advantageously increase thespacing between solder joints to reduce the likelihood of soldermaterial bridging between any of the interconnect structures 110 duringa reflow process, and thereby forming an electrical connection thatshorts the semiconductor die 100. Accordingly, the present technologycan increase the yield of a semiconductor device manufacturing processby reducing defects due to solder bridging.

FIGS. 2A-2G are enlarged cross-sectional views illustrating variousstages in a method of manufacturing a semiconductor die 100 havinginterconnect structures 110 thereon, in accordance with embodiments ofthe present technology. For ease of explanation and understanding, FIGS.2A-2G illustrate the fabrication of a single interconnect structure 110of the semiconductor die 100. However, the stages illustrated withrespect to FIGS. 2A-2G can be repeated and/or extended to form each ofthe interconnect structures 110 of the semiconductor die 100. Moreover,in general, the semiconductor die 100 can be manufactured, for example,as a discrete device or as part of a larger wafer or panel. Inwafer-level or panel-level manufacturing, a larger semiconductor deviceis formed before being singulated to form a plurality of individualsemiconductor dies. One skilled in the art will readily understand thatthe fabrication of the semiconductor die 100 can be scaled to the waferand/or panel level—that is, to include many more components so as to becapable of being singulated into more than one semiconductor die100—while including similar features and using similar processes asdescribed herein.

Referring to FIG. 2A, at this stage of the method a first mask 240(e.g., a photomask) is formed on the insulating material 104. The firstmask 240 can be a resist material or other suitable mask material havingan opening 242 at least partially aligned with (i) the opening 107 inthe insulating material 104, (ii) the contact 106, and (iii) a portionof the insulating material 104 extending laterally, adjacent to thecontact 106. As explained in more detail below, the conductive portionsof the interconnect structure 110 are formed in the opening 242 of thefirst mask 240. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2A, the opening242 of the first mask 240 has a generally rectangular cross-sectionalshape. However, masks having other cross-sectional shapes may be used toform an interconnect structure having a different shape.

In some embodiments, the semiconductor die 100 further has a seedstructure (not pictured) formed on the insulating material 104 and theportion of the contact 106 exposed at the opening 107 of the insulatingmaterial 104. The seed structure can be a single material suitable forplating the base or first material of an interconnect structure. In someembodiments, a seed structure can include a barrier material and a seedmaterial on the barrier material. The barrier material can be tantalum,tantalum nitride, titanium, titanium-tungsten or another material thatprevents diffusion of the interconnect structure materials into theinsulating material 104 and the substrate 102. The seed material can becopper, a copper alloy, nickel, or other suitable materials for platingthe first conductive material 112 (FIG. 1B) onto the seed material usingelectro-plating or electroless-plating techniques known in the art. Forexample, in some embodiments, a seed structure can include a copper seedmaterial deposited using a physical vapor deposition process.

FIG. 2B illustrates the semiconductor die 100 after forming the firstconductive material 112 in the opening 242 of the first mask 240 andover the contact 106 and the insulating material 104. The firstconductive material 112 can be formed in the opening 242 using anelectro-plating or electroless-plating process known in the art. Incertain embodiments, the first conductive material 112 comprises copper.

Referring to FIG. 2C, fabrication of the semiconductor die 100 continuesby forming the second conductive material 114 in the opening 242 (FIG.2B) of the first mask 240 and over the first conductive material 112.The second conductive material 114 can be formed in the same or asimilar manner as the first conductive material 112, and can comprisenickel or other suitable materials. In some embodiments, the secondconductive material 114 can be selected to provide a good wettingsurface for forming electrical connectors on the second conductivematerial 114.

FIG. 2D illustrates the semiconductor die 100 after removing the firstmask 240 and after forming the containment layer 116 over the topsurface 122 and sidewall surface 124 of the interconnect structure 110.The first mask 240 can be removed using a wet photoresist strip or othersuitable technique known in the art. In the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 2D, the containment layer 116 is formed as a blanket layer over allof the exposed surfaces of the conductive materials 112, 114, includingcovering the entire top surface 122. As described above, the containmentlayer can be a material (i) to which a solder material of the electricalconnector 130 (FIG. 1B) does not readily wet (e.g., cover) in a liquidphase and/or (ii) that has a low or negligible diffusability for thesolder material of the electrical connector 130.

In some embodiments, the containment layer 116 is formed by exposing theconductive materials 112, 114 to a plasma (e.g., using a plasma-enhancedchemical vapor deposition or other suitable process). For example, insome embodiments the plasma is an O₂ plasma and the second conductivematerial 114 is nickel. Accordingly, the containment layer 116 can atleast partially comprise nickel oxide (e.g., at the top surface 122 ofthe interconnect structure 110 where the O₂ plasma reacts with thesecond conductive material 114). In certain embodiments, the first mask240 is not removed prior to formation of the containment layer 116. Insuch embodiments, the containment layer 116 can be formed on only thetop surface 122 of the interconnect structure 110, and not the sidewallsurface 124. In other embodiments, the containment layer 116 can beselectively formed on only a portion of the top surface 122 and/or thesidewall surface 124. In yet other embodiments, as described below withreference to FIGS. 3A-3D, the electrical connector 130 can be formedbefore forming the containment layer 116.

Referring to FIG. 2E, fabrication of the semiconductor die 100 continuesby forming a second mask 250 (e.g., a photomask) at least on thecontainment layer 116 on the top surface 122 of the interconnectstructure 110. The second mask 250 can be a resist material or othersuitable mask material having an opening 252 at least partially alignedwith a portion of the containment layer 116. In some embodiments, wherethe first mask 240 is not removed prior to forming the containment layer116, the second mask 250 can be formed at least partially over the firstmask 240. As further illustrated in FIG. 2E, the method continues byremoving the portion of the containment layer 116 that is exposed in theopening 252 of the second mask 250. The portion of the containment layer116 can be removed using, for example, a hydrogen chloride (HCl) cleanprocess, a wet clean process, an etching process, or another processknown in the art. As shown in FIG. 2E, after removing the portion of thecontainment layer 116, the second conductive material 114 is exposed inthe opening 252 of the second mask 250. In other embodiments, instead ofusing a photomask, a portion of the containment layer 116 can be removedusing a targeted laser or another suitable process to expose a portionof the second conductive material 114.

FIG. 2F illustrates the semiconductor die 100 after forming theelectrical connector 130 in the opening 252 (FIG. 2E) of the second mask250. For example, the electrical connector 130 can comprise a soldermaterial (e.g., tin-silver, indium solder, etc.) that is plated into theopening 252 of the second mask 250 and onto the exposed portion of thesecond conductive material 114. The electrical connector 130 can also beformed by disposing a pre-formed solder ball in place on the secondconductive material 114 or by using a suitable screen printing process,as is known in the art. Accordingly, the electrical connector 130 iselectrically coupled to the contact 106—and the integrated circuitry ofthe substrate 102—via the conductive materials 112, 114. As shown inFIG. 2F, the electrical connector 130 can initially have a rectilinear(e.g., block-like) shape after it is formed in the opening 252.

Referring to FIG. 2G, fabrication of the semiconductor die 100 continuesby removing the second mask 250 (FIG. 2F) and reflowing the electricalconnector 130 (e.g., to form a solder ball or solder bump), which givesthe electrical connector 130 a more rounded shape. The second mask 250can be removed in the same or a similar manner as the first mask 240such as, for example, using a wet photoresist strip or other similartechnique. The reflow process can be any suitable process known in theart for heating the electrical connector 130 to facilitate forming anelectrical and/or mechanical connection between the interconnect 110 andan adjacent semiconductor die or other electrical component.

FIGS. 3A-3D are enlarged cross-sectional views illustrating variousstages in a method of manufacturing a semiconductor die 100 havinginterconnect structures 110 thereon, in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present technology. Many of the steps can be generallysimilar to those described above with reference to FIGS. 2A-2G. Forexample, FIG. 3A illustrates the semiconductor die 100 after the firstmask 240 has been formed on the insulating material 104, and afterplating the conductive materials 112, 114 into the opening of the firstmask 240. However, as further illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 3A,a second mask 360 (e.g., a photomask) is formed at least partially overthe first mask 240 and the second conductive material 114. The secondmask 360 can be a resist material or other suitable mask material havingan opening 362 at least partially aligned with a portion of the secondconductive material 114.

FIG. 3B illustrates the semiconductor die 100 after forming theelectrical connector 130 in the opening 362 (FIG. 3A) of the second mask360 and after removing the first and second masks 240 and 360. Theelectrical connector 130 can be a solder material (e.g., tin-silver)that is plated onto the portion of the second conductive material 114that is exposed in the opening 362. The electrical connector 130 canalso be formed by disposing a pre-formed solder ball in place on thesecond conductive material 114 or by using a suitable screen printingprocess, as is known in the art. The first and second masks 240 and 360can be removed using a wet photoresist strip or other suitable techniqueknown in the art. Notably, the electrical connector 130 is formed priorto the formation of a containment layer.

Referring to FIG. 3C, fabrication of semiconductor die 100 continues byforming the containment layer 116 over the exposed portions of theconductive materials 112, 114 and the electrical connector 130. That is,the containment layer 116 is formed as a blanket layer over the entiresidewall surface 124 of the interconnect structure 110, the exposedportion of the top surface 122 of the interconnect structure 110, and atop and sidewall surface of the electrical connector 130. In someembodiments, the containment layer 116 is formed by exposing theconductive materials 112, 114 and the electrical connector 130 to aplasma (e.g., using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition or othersuitable process). In certain embodiments, only the second mask 360(FIG. 3A) is removed after forming the electrical connector 130, and thefirst mask 240 is not removed prior to formation of the containmentlayer 116. In such embodiments, the containment layer 116 can be formedon only the exposed portion of the top surface 122 of the interconnectstructure 110, and not the sidewall surface 124. In other embodiments,the containment layer 116 can be selectively formed on only a portion ofthe top surface 122 and/or sidewall surface 124.

Referring to FIG. 3D, fabrication of the semiconductor die 100 continuesby reflowing the electrical connector 130 to form, for example, a solderball or solder bump on the top surface 122 of the interconnect structure110 that is electrically coupled to the contact 106 through theconductive materials 112, 114. As illustrated in the embodiment of FIG.3D, reflowing the electrical connector 130 can partially or fully removethe containment layer 116 from the surface of the electrical connector130. For example, in some embodiments, the electrical connector 130 cancomprise a solder material and a flux material. Heating the electricalconnector 130 during the reflow process can activate the flux materialto remove the containment layer 116 (e.g., an oxide) from the surface ofthe electrical connector 130. In other embodiments, a liquid flux can beintroduced to the electrical connector 130 prior to or during the reflowprocess to facilitate removal of the containment layer 116 on thesurface of the electrical connector 130. The reflow process can be anysuitable process known in the art for heating the electrical connector130 to facilitate forming an electrical and/or mechanical connectionwith an adjacent semiconductor die or another electrical component.

Notably, the interconnect structure 110 can be formed without addingsignificant additional costs or complexity to existing methods forforming interconnect structures. For example, as compared to manyconventional methods for forming interconnect structures that arevertically aligned with the contacts of a semiconductor die, the methodsdescribed above with reference to FIGS. 2A-3D simply incorporate (i) achange in the mask pattern for plating conductive materials (e.g., suchthat the conductive materials 112, 114 extend laterally away from acorresponding contact 106 to form the elongated interconnect structure110) and (ii) the additional step of forming a containment layer thatprevents solder material from wicking along the elongated interconnectstructure. In particular, it is expected that these modifications toexisting processes for forming interconnects are less complex than otherapproaches to increasing the spacing between solder joints in asemiconductor device—such as forming a redistribution layer (RDL) on thesemiconductor die or redesigning the semiconductor die itself.

Any one of the semiconductor dies having the features described abovewith reference to FIGS. 1A-3D can be incorporated into any of a myriadof larger and/or more complex systems, a representative example of whichis system 400 shown schematically in FIG. 4. The system 400 can includea processor 402, a memory 404 (e.g., SRAM, DRAM, flash, and/or othermemory devices), input/output devices 405, and/or other subsystems orcomponents 408. The semiconductor dies described above with reference toFIGS. 1A-3D can be included in any of the elements shown in FIG. 4. Theresulting system 400 can be configured to perform any of a wide varietyof suitable computing, processing, storage, sensing, imaging, and/orother functions. Accordingly, representative examples of the system 400include, without limitation, computers and/or other data processors,such as desktop computers, laptop computers, Internet appliances,hand-held devices (e.g., palm-top computers, wearable computers,cellular or mobile phones, personal digital assistants, music players,etc.), tablets, multi-processor systems, processor-based or programmableconsumer electronics, network computers, and minicomputers. Additionalrepresentative examples of the system 400 include lights, cameras,vehicles, etc. With regard to these and other example, the system 400can be housed in a single unit or distributed over multipleinterconnected units, e.g., through a communication network. Thecomponents of the system 400 can accordingly include local and/or remotememory storage devices and any of a wide variety of suitablecomputer-readable media.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments ofthe technology have been described herein for purposes of illustration,but that various modifications may be made without deviating from thedisclosure. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by theappended claims. Furthermore, certain aspects of the new technologydescribed in the context of particular embodiments may also be combinedor eliminated in other embodiments. Moreover, although advantagesassociated with certain embodiments of the new technology have beendescribed in the context of those embodiments, other embodiments mayalso exhibit such advantages and not all embodiments need necessarilyexhibit such advantages to fall within the scope of the technology.Accordingly, the disclosure and associated technology can encompassother embodiments not expressly shown or described herein.

We claim:
 1. A semiconductor die, comprising: a semiconductor substrate;an insulating material over a surface of the semiconductor substrate; anelectrically conductive contact at the surface of the semiconductorsubstrate and exposed by an opening in the insulating material; aninterconnect structure including a conductive material electricallycoupled to the conductive contact, wherein the conductive materialincludes a top surface having a first portion vertically aligned withthe conductive contact and a second portion extending laterally awayfrom the first portion and over at least a portion of the insulatingmaterial; a solder material disposed at least partially on the secondportion of the top surface of the conductive material; and a containmentlayer at least partially over the first portion of the top surface ofthe conductive material, wherein the containment layer comprises nickeloxide.
 2. The semiconductor die of claim 1 wherein the containment layeris over all of the first portion of the top surface of the conductivematerial.
 3. The semiconductor die of claim 1 wherein the containmentlayer is configured to prevent wicking of the solder material from thesecond portion to the first portion of the top surface of the conductivematerial.
 4. The semiconductor die of claim 1 wherein the interconnectstructure further includes a sidewall surface extending between the topsurface and the semiconductor substrate and the contact, and wherein thecontainment layer is at least partially over the sidewall surface.
 5. Asemiconductor die, comprising: a semiconductor substrate; an insulatingmaterial over a surface of the semiconductor substrate; an electricallyconductive contact at the surface of the semiconductor substrate andexposed by an opening in the insulating material; an interconnectstructure including a conductive material electrically coupled to theconductive contact, wherein the conductive material includes a topsurface having a first portion vertically aligned with the conductivecontact and a second portion extending laterally away from the firstportion and over at least a portion of the insulating material, whereinthe conductive material comprises a first conductive materialelectrically coupled to the electrically conductive contact, and asecond conductive material disposed over the first conductive material;and a solder material disposed at least partially on the second portionof the top surface of the conductive material.
 6. The semiconductor dieof claim 5 wherein the first conductive material comprises copper,wherein the second conductive material comprises nickel, and wherein theinsulating material comprises a passivation material.
 7. A semiconductordie, comprising: a semiconductor substrate; an insulating material overa surface of the semiconductor substrate; an electrically conductivecontact at the surface of the semiconductor substrate and exposed by anopening in the insulating material, wherein the electrically conductivecontact is at least one of a bond pad or a portion of an interconnectextending at least partially through the semiconductor substrate; aninterconnect structure including a conductive material electricallycoupled to the conductive contact, wherein the conductive materialincludes a top surface having a first portion vertically aligned withthe conductive contact and a second portion extending laterally awayfrom the first portion and over at least a portion of the insulatingmaterial; and a solder material disposed at least partially on thesecond portion of the top surface of the conductive material.
 8. Thesemiconductor die of claim 7 wherein less than about 50% of the soldermaterial is vertically aligned with the electrically conductive contact.9. The semiconductor die of claim 7 wherein less than about 25% of thesolder material is vertically aligned with the electrically conductivecontact.
 10. A semiconductor die, comprising: a semiconductor substrate;an insulating material over a surface of the semiconductor substrate; anelectrically conductive contact at the surface of the semiconductorsubstrate and exposed by an opening in the insulating material; aninterconnect structure including a conductive material electricallycoupled to the conductive contact, wherein the conductive materialincludes a top surface having a first portion vertically aligned withthe conductive contact and a second portion extending laterally awayfrom the first portion and over at least a portion of the insulatingmaterial; and a solder material disposed at least partially on thesecond portion of the top surface of the conductive material, wherein noportion of the solder material is vertically aligned with theelectrically conductive contact.
 11. A semiconductor die, comprising: asemiconductor substrate; a first contact exposed at a surface of thesemiconductor substrate; a second contact exposed at the surface of thesemiconductor substrate; a first interconnect structure electricallycoupled to the first contact, wherein the first interconnect structureincludes a top surface having a first portion over the first contact anda second portion laterally offset from the first contact; a first soldermaterial disposed on the second portion of the top surface of the firstinterconnect structure; a second interconnect structure electricallycoupled to the second contact, wherein the second interconnect structureincludes a top surface having a third portion over the second contactand a fourth portion laterally offset from the second contact; and asecond solder material disposed on the fourth portion of the top surfaceof the second interconnect structure.
 12. The semiconductor die of claim11 wherein the second contact is spaced apart from the first contact bya first distance, and wherein the second solder material is spaced apartfrom the first solder material by a second distance greater than thefirst distance.
 13. The semiconductor die of claim 11 wherein the topsurface of the first interconnect structure extends laterally from thefirst portion to the second portion in a first direction, wherein thetop surface of the second interconnect structure extends laterally fromthe third portion to the fourth portion in a second direction, andwherein the first direction is different than the second direction. 14.The semiconductor die of claim 11 wherein the first interconnectstructure includes a first containment layer over at least the firstportion of the first interconnect structure, and wherein the secondinterconnect structure includes a second containment layer over at leastthe third portion of the second interconnect structure.
 15. Thesemiconductor die of claim 12 wherein the second distance is at leasttwice the first distance.
 16. The semiconductor die of claim 13 whereinthe first direction is generally opposite to the second direction.
 17. Amethod comprising: constructing an interconnect structure on asemiconductor die by plating a conductive material onto a surface of thesemiconductor die and at least partially over a conductive contact ofthe semiconductor die so that the interconnect structure is electricallycoupled to the conductive contact; forming a containment layer on atleast a first portion of a top surface of the interconnect structure,wherein forming the containment layer includes forming the containmentlayer over a surface of the solder material; before forming thecontainment layer on the interconnect structure, disposing a soldermaterial on a second portion of the top surface of the interconnectstructure, wherein the second portion of the top surface of theinterconnect structure is at least partially laterally offset from theconductive contact of the semiconductor die; and reflowing the soldermaterial, wherein reflowing the solder material at least partiallyremoves the containment layer from the surface of the solder material.18. The method of claim 17 wherein constructing the interconnectstructure includes (a) plating a first conductive material onto theconductive contact and an insulating material at the surface of thesemiconductor die, and (b) plating a second conductive material onto thefirst conductive material.
 19. A method comprising: constructing aninterconnect structure on a semiconductor die by plating a conductivematerial onto a surface of the semiconductor die and at least partiallyover a conductive contact of the semiconductor die so that theinterconnect structure is electrically coupled to the conductivecontact; forming a containment layer on at least a first portion of atop surface of the interconnect structure, wherein the containment layercomprises a containment material, and wherein forming the containmentlayer includes— forming a layer of the containment material over all ofthe top surface of the interconnect structure; and removing a portion ofthe containment material on a second portion of the top surface of theinterconnect structure; and after forming the containment layer on theinterconnect structure, disposing a solder material on the secondportion of the top surface of the interconnect structure, wherein thesecond portion of the top surface of the interconnect structure is atleast partially laterally offset from the conductive contact of thesemiconductor die.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein forming thecontainment layer includes at least partially exposing the interconnectstructure to a plasma.
 21. The method of claim 19 wherein forming thecontainment layer includes forming the containment layer over a sidewallsurface of the interconnect structure.
 22. The method of claim 20wherein the plasma is an oxygen plasma, and wherein the containmentlayer comprises an oxide.